North American Language and Culture Assistants in Spain

I have participated in the North American Language and Cultural Assistants program for the past 2 school years. Overall it has been an opportunity of a lifetime. My Spanish have improved immensely, my 6-year old daughter is now bilingual and I have been able to travel all around Europe.
That being said the program does have its drawbacks. The pay has not been raised since the start of the program 5 years ago and it is not enough to get by on without supplementing your income through other jobs. Also, some of the communities have had problems with paying the auxiliares on time as well as renewing their identity cards. Also, I have noticed the school you are placed in can sometimes make or break the experience.
Bottom line, I am so glad to have done the program, I have no regrets. Now its my last 2 months here in Spain and I am going to miss it dearly.

Pros: Teaching in Spain for 8-9 months with health insurance is a pretty good deal! You will likely have a built-in support system from the school and teachers you are working with. You'll also have a good chance to work on your Spanish, as the students often need you to translate for them. You'll be able to save up money while living abroad, making it easy to travel to other places in Europe. You can also scrape together more cash by teaching private lessons.

Cons: The quality of your experience can vary greatly depending on the region you are placed in, as each region in Spain is responsible for payment of its own language assistants. (Some regions, like Castilla y Leon, are better about paying assistants on time; Andalucia and Catalonia notoriously pay their assistants late.) Also, you're obviously going to have a different experience if you are placed in a small village versus a city, like Madrid. It's a bit of a coin toss, considering you are not guaranteed to be placed where you'd like.

Also, the application and visa process can be daunting at times, and often the program organizers simply don't have the answers you'd like them to.

Final word: Overall, a great program. The benefits are obvious, but be aware that there are downsides. I wouldn't recommend this program unless you are very comfortable speaking Spanish (or are participating with someone who is)...or unless you are a seasoned traveler/expatriate. I don't think I would recommend program for a pure anglophone's first time living abroad.

P.S. If all you have is your high school Spanish, take some classes before you go! You'll thank yourself later.

I taught at an elementary school 45 minutes outside of Madrid from October-July 1,. I worked 4 days a week, Tues-Friday from 9 am-2 pm and got paid 1,000 euros a month. You get paid more in Madrid because it's more expensive to live there. I absolutely loved teaching those little Spanish kids. I taught english and science (it was really basic science) mostly to 1st grade and 5th grade. Sometimes I would prepare presentations, games, or some kind of fun learning activity, but I mostly taught things from the workbook. It was really simple and so rewarding.

My spanish is also terrible, but I got by with help from other assistants and some of the teachers who spoke english really well. I lived with my husband who was getting a Masters, but I think that if I had Spanish roommates I would have learned even more.
Don't compare yourself to the other assistants who know better Spanish...just have fun and keep practicing!

It can be really scary and stressful getting a bus pass, finding an apartment (use idealista.com) and opening up a bank account without knowing very much Spanish, but it's a good experience for you and it would always end up working out. I would suggest when you are doing anything that has to do with visas, to bring extra copies and a color copy of important documents. My black and white copy of my passport and marriage certificate weren't good enough. BUT, don't worry near all of the chinos (convenience stores) there are little internet cafes to make copies.

OH I loved Madrid, but If I could do it again I would go to Basque Country (Bilbao, San Sebastian), Granada, or Barcelona. I like to be closer to the coast and I love those places, especially Granada and San Sebastian. I wish I could go back so much. My heart aches, I miss it so much. It was a really great program and I think you should do it.

I participated in the North America Language and Culture Assistants in Spain program for eight months during the 2009-2010 school year. I taught classes at a secondary school (ages 12-18) in the province of Álava in el País Vasco and lived in Bilbao.

Prior to arriving, I didn't really have a clear idea of what I would be doing on a day-to-day basis at my school. According to the program manual, Language Assistants help out in English classes, focusing specifically on speaking and listening. I assumed I would be helping with activities planned by the teachers and that I would not be left alone to lead classes. But I was wrong. I was the first Language Assistant my school had ever had and they decided to give me an hour per week with each of the groups, teaching alone. The teachers asked me to do certain activities from the textbooks and then to create supplemental activities like games and listening to songs to review grammar and vocabulary.

While challenging at first, I quickly figured out how to plan and carry out a class. There were definitely some tough groups, but overall I had a great experience. The teachers in the language department supported me in my role as a Language Assistant and also in my life outside my school.

My job only required 12 hours of teaching a week and I spent between two and five hours planning lessons, so there was a lot of free time left for other activities. For me that consisted mainly of going on long walks around Bilbao, hiking in the beautiful mountains on the weekends, reading, cooking, and watching lots of Spanish television (you know, to keep improving my Spanish). Other auxiliares in Bilbao found fun things to do like clubbing, going to concerts, and doing language exchanges in pubs.

Language-wise, I entered the program with a degree in Spanish and linguistics and a year of study abroad in Spain. It was great to put my studies to use on a daily basis. I have heard of people who have very limited or even no Spanish language skills applying for the program. One of the application requirements is an intermediate level of Spanish, but they don't really have a way to check that since the application is online and doesn't involve an interview. Be aware that there is no hand holding in this program. Once in Spain, participants must apply for a residency card, open a bank account, find a place to live, etc. on their own and in Spanish, so having at least an intermediate level helps immensely to get settled and then to just get around every day.

I enjoyed my time in el País Vasco so much that I decided to apply to come back for a second year. I am currently at the same school I was at before for the 2011-2012 school year and planning to renew my position for the following year. This time I'm living in the town where the school is located and I love it. I'm working on learning more about Basque history and culture, attending a Basque language class, and taking advantage of having the public library right behind my apartment building.

Without hesitation, I would recommend this program to anyone with a decent level of Spanish who wants to continue to improve their language skills, learn more about Spanish culture, experience living in another country, and/or gain teaching experience.

A few great things about this program were

1) My work schedule was no more than 12 hours a week. This gave me a huge amount of time to see the sights, travel and learn Spanish. I taught myself guitar and many friends took college classes on the side.

2) The work itself is not hard. I was placed in a school of 300 students, age 12-16 and a few 17 year olds an one 18 year old. The hardest part of my job was calming the students down when they got to work with me as they were so excited and willing to speak English. I knew most by name and often went to recess with them to play soccer.

3) The teaching staff was helpful and friendly. Make sure to make a good start with them as they will be your co-workers for six months.

4) The stipend they gave me was 700 euros a month. While this is not a huge amount, it is more than enough to live off of. I shared an apartment for 290 and after eating expenses and travel, I left the country with a hefty sum saved up. Instead of paying to travel and live abroad, I was paid to do it. Amazing.

Things to watch out for

1) Make sure to bring enough money to live off of for a month. The first check doesn't come until the end of the first month, so you'll have to have plenty for an apartment (deposit and first month's rent) and extra for whatever might happen.

2) Look at the apartments in person before you make anything permanent. I had a place set up that looked great and was on the same square where Picasso lived and found out it was packed with people and a total dive. Stayed in a hostal for two weeks, made great friends there, and found a nice place.

3) Make sure you find a place that allows you to live a little. I had a few friends who got places in the outskirts of the city near their schools. While they could wake up an hour later for work, they could never come out at night or stay in the city to site see because the bus to their town stopped running at night and they didn't have a car.

4) I got in the program late and so a lot of my forms were not ready when I got there. Once in the country, it took me about a month to get my visa sorted out and a photo ID set up. While it wasn't a problem at all and everything was sorted out, make sure you take care of yourself when it comes to forms and identification. It is your responsibility.

5) Get Spanish speaking roommates!! You won't be learning Spanish at work, your job is to teach English. If you get someone who speaks English as a roommate, it will be English at home and work. You also want to be able to go out a night with natives of the city to see the right places and listen to Spanish outside a classroom or workplace. It's harder to meet these people and find these places if you have a roommate from Canada, Australia, the British Isles, or the States.

A final note, I made many very good friends from around the world and keep in touch with many of them. I left with a totally different world view and a profound feeling of joy at having been able to participate. I fell in love with Spain and I will be going back.

This is the ideal situation for someone who is looking for independence in a foreign country. There is zero communication nor help if you have questions. They essentially assign you a school, give you a contact name and hopefully an email or phone number that works, and a day to show up. How you get there, when you get there and where you live are all issues you have to figure out yourself. This is not for the faint of heart. But if you are looking for an adventure and the opportunity to be totally immersed, you have found what you are looking for. There are no fees you have to pay, your "salary" is good and your health insurance is great. If you need support while abroad, this is not for you. If you crave total freedom, this is definitely for you.